Most of the world's electronic manufacturers do not possess the ability to build highly proficient multi-module automated processing systems, such as a manufacturing system that contain fully integrated robotics systems. There is a desire to standardize manufacturing processes across multiple manufacturing sites world-wide. In order to reduce development costs some manufacturers have reverse engineered manufacturing devices.
The risks of exposure or proprietary manufacturing processes and client intellectual property can restrict product manufacturing to dedicated sites utilizing certified assembly devices. This can restrict the available volumes of products without regard to potential increased demand and dwindling supplies.
Some manufacturing capacity can be underutilized because the required processes and intellectual property cannot be transferred to additional sites. The exposure or loss of the manufacturing process or the client intellectual property is too great for unsecured movement between manufacturing facilities. Compromise of the manufacturing process or the client's intellectual property can represent a business calamity that could ruin the manufacturer's reputation and risk future business opportunity.
Thus, a need still remains for an automated manufacturing system with adapter security that can effectively protect the manufacturing process and the client's intellectual property, while being able to distribute the workload across multiple sites as required to meet the client's manufacturing needs. In view of the ever-increasing need to save costs and improve efficiencies, it is more and more critical that answers be found to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.